Since I already make corned beef, pastrami, sausage, and sour dill pickles, sauerkraut seemed like the next logical thing to scratch off the ol' to-do list. I have used the recipe for sour dills for a couple years now from Wild Fermentation so that is where I went for a sauerkraut recipe. http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut
Here is what was required.
The simplicity of this is what makes it so attractive. Kosher or sea salt and cabbage. We picked up 17 lbs of cabbage from a local farmers market. The recipe calls for 3TBS of salt for every 5 pounds of cabbage. I peeled the outside leaves off and then chopped the cabbages up. Since my cabbages were 5lbs, 5lbs, and 7lbs respectively I would put in a quarter of each chopped cabbage and then sprinkle some of the kosher salt followed by punching down the cabbage with my fist to get it packed tightly.
As I added more I could see the salt start pulling the water out of the cabbage until finally I was out of cabbage. In case you ever wonder how many liters 17lbs of cabbage is:
And then to keep the cabbage tamped down I placed a dinner plate with two quarts mason jars filled with water on top to weigh it down.
Then a towel was placed over the top of the bucket to keep any foreign objects out while the cabbage ferments. Over the next 24 hours the salt should continue to extract water from the cabbage until it is totally submerged in its own juice and lactic acid production ramps up. I am planning to leave it alone for about 3 - 4 weeks before trying the sauerkraut. I will check it daily to make sure the cabbage is submerged and skim any scum off the top.
Here is what was required.
The simplicity of this is what makes it so attractive. Kosher or sea salt and cabbage. We picked up 17 lbs of cabbage from a local farmers market. The recipe calls for 3TBS of salt for every 5 pounds of cabbage. I peeled the outside leaves off and then chopped the cabbages up. Since my cabbages were 5lbs, 5lbs, and 7lbs respectively I would put in a quarter of each chopped cabbage and then sprinkle some of the kosher salt followed by punching down the cabbage with my fist to get it packed tightly.
As I added more I could see the salt start pulling the water out of the cabbage until finally I was out of cabbage. In case you ever wonder how many liters 17lbs of cabbage is:
And then to keep the cabbage tamped down I placed a dinner plate with two quarts mason jars filled with water on top to weigh it down.
Then a towel was placed over the top of the bucket to keep any foreign objects out while the cabbage ferments. Over the next 24 hours the salt should continue to extract water from the cabbage until it is totally submerged in its own juice and lactic acid production ramps up. I am planning to leave it alone for about 3 - 4 weeks before trying the sauerkraut. I will check it daily to make sure the cabbage is submerged and skim any scum off the top.